Prenatal vitamins: is it worth it?

This question comes from Cheryl:

"I was wondering if taking prenatal vitamins when you are not pregnant or trying to get pregnant is dangerous? Someone who frequently does my hair recommended it to me and I have done some reading and see some people suggest it while some say there are many dangers, including death ? I am confused and was wondering if you would mind sharing you opinion."

What an important topic.  Short answer: yes, it is valuable for ALL women who might be or might likely become pregnant to take pre-natal vitamins.

Top 3 nutrients:
-Folic Acid: 400-800 mcg
-Vitamin D3: 2000-10K IU
-Zinc: 10-60 mg

Why?  Folic acid may be the most researched nutrient regarding prenatal health.  It has been shown to nearly eliminate a number of birth defects, most notably: spina bifida.  There are many other nutrients at an increased demand for a growing mother & developing fetus.

Ok, so why not wait until a pregnancy is known?  While it is still helpful to supplement as soon as the pregnancy is known, most women aren't aware of a pregnancy until 4 weeks or more into the pregnancy.  The neural tube closes development near week 6 of pregnancy.  This means that the opportunity to alter initial spinal cord, brain, and CNS development is most possible before you even know you're pregnant!  Women have to take the vitamins consistently to prepare for a not-yet-known event AND to pre-load certain molecules in their cells.  Wait until you know and you might miss the opportunity to protect your baby.

What about side effects?  Side effects are rare.  Women should seek a quality, reputable, medical-grade supplement (so many options).  I've no knowledge of risk of death.  That would seem to either be exaggerated story, an example of extreme dosage, or poor product.

Prenatal vitamins are almost completely good news: for ~ 10 cents/day, you can prevent roughly half of all birth defects.  wow!

Final thought: supplementation is a challenging topic for science.  It is a mixed bag when trying to prove the value of individual supplements, but it is very clear that women who might become pregnant should all be on a prenatal vitamin well before conception for optimal health outcomes.

Thanks, Cheryl, for the great question.